Heiress Abigail Disney has announced that she will resume her financial support for the Democratic Party following President Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race. Disney, whose grandfather was a co-founder of The Walt Disney Company, had previously stated that she would halt her contributions until a new candidate was named.
In a recent email to CNBC, she confirmed, “Yes, I will resume supporting,” now that Biden has endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as his successor. Earlier in the month, when she declared her intention to withdraw donations, she had also expressed her support for Harris, noting the Vice President’s qualifications and the need for the Democratic Party to unite around her.
Disney stated, “We have an excellent Vice President. If Democrats would tolerate any of her perceived shortcomings even one-tenth as much as they have tolerated Biden’s (and let’s not kid ourselves about where race and gender figure in that inequity) and if Democrats can find a way to stop quibbling and rally around her, we can win this election by a lot.”
She was among a group of high-profile Democratic donors who criticized Biden following his poor performance in a debate against former President Donald Trump. Reports suggested that pressure from donors and a decline in financial support contributed to Biden’s decision to exit the race. Notably, financier George Soros and his son, Alex Soros, also expressed their endorsement for Harris after Biden’s announcement.